The B7 Sparrowhawk-class multi-role starfighter is AdmiralAckbar's primary starfighter. This type is used as an interceptor.

Characteristics:

Like all GAU ships, the fighter draws several key characteristics from its namesake, the Sparrowhawk. For one, its wings are short and broad, though they project beyond the cockpit and end in points. The fighter's tail is quite long, allowing for powerful engines and impressive speed.

The cockpit itself has a simple but durable canopy of durasteel, giving the avian pilot a wide view of things. Several of the instruments project data in the ultraviolet range, which only birds can see. Though this makes the fighter impossible for other beings to pilot, it is a frightening adversary in the talons of a bird.

Depending on the size of the bird pilot, the ships come in varying sizes; from tiny foot-long hummingbird-size ships to huge 15-meter vessels piloted by the large, flightless birds. The missiles and lasers on the smaller fighters are technically less powerful than the larger ships. However, thanks to cutting-edge engineering by fitting size birds, they are proportionally just as, if not more than, powerful as the the larger ships.

Another advantage of having smaller birds pilot smaller fighters is that they can be deployed en masse very quickly. The small fighters can also do many other things…

Armament:

Each Sparrowhawk comes equipped with 2 heavy laser cannons on the wingtips and 2 swiveled tail cannons. Both are standard and used for dogfighting. The interchangeable equipment is the addition of 3 modular warhead launchers. These can be removed and replaced to launch:

missiles

torpedoes

rockets

bombs

or almost any other type of ordinance; depending on the fighter's mission profile.

The standard issue for the Sparrowhawk is 3 [guided] cluster missile launchers, which also make it the interceptor type. These cluster missiles are deadly, able to sow mayhem among enemy fighters and can wipe out whole squadrons in focused salvos. The interceptor type makes good use of these missiles in its role of engaging and destroying fighters and bombers.

Though the heavy laser cannons on the wingtips are fixed and they are controlled by the avian pilot, the lasers on the tail are equipped with their own targeting computer. Due to their swivel, the tail cannons can easily rotate and fire behind the starship, deterring pursuers. However, the tail cannons can be coordinated with the primary lasers and warhead launchers to produce a deadly fire-linked barrage. The modular warhead launchers also have some degree of swivel, allowing them to fire downward or forward.